Carol Sullivan, who leafleted at a recent Women of Faith Conference
in Dallas, writes:

Alice, Roman, Haven, and I went to the American Airlines Center on
Friday evening for the Women of Faith Conference. There were many people
and most were very receptive to the leaflets... only a few people gave
them back. We were able to distribute 3 boxes over a 2 hour period as
the people went into the conference. After leafleting a this conference
for a few years, it is reassuring to observe that people seem to be more
knowledgeable about the issues and more encouraging with respect to
vegetarianism - there is hope!

This week’s reading relates the parable who said that the “kingdom of
heaven is like” a householder who paid all laborers the same amount,
regardless of how long they worked. I will offer a perspective on this
parable that borrows from mimetic theory.

Because we care a great deal about our status, we find ourselves in
rivalries with other people. We want to be in positions of superiority,
particularly if we believe that “deserve” greater status. In the
“kingdom of heaven,” there are no inherent differences between
individuals, and everyone gladly shares with each other, regardless of
productivity. Historically, such communalism has generally worked much
better in smaller, tight-knit communities than in larger nation-states.
However, I don’t think Jesus was as concerned with such practical
matters as with articulating the ideal, because in the kingdom of heaven
there are no rivalries or conflicts, and therefore there is no violence.

People want what is “fair,” but a major problem is that self-interest
colors perceptions of what is fair. To illustrate, in the United States
there are often bitter conflicts on how the tax burden should be meted
out. If income generation were totally just, and if government programs
benefited all citizens roughly equally, then all people should pay the
same taxes, regardless of income. While income is related to quality and
quantity of work, most people agree that it is not totally just. For
example, people do not have equal access to crucial educational
resources or to more lucrative jobs. What, then, is “fair” income and
“fair” taxation? Without a clear answer, people will often feel
embittered by what they regard as unfair treatment, and such bitterness
can easily lead to violence.

It is not easy to reconcile the ideal to which Jesus pointed with the
limitations that human nature seems to impose on social arrangements. At
the very least, we should grant basic rights to everyone, which includes
the right not to be enslaved and the right not to be tortured, abused,
or murdered. The nearly universal human disregard of these basic rights
when it comes to nonhuman beings illustrates what happens when
vulnerable individuals are at the mercy of those who lack the
compassion, love, and mercy of Christ. If we are to start to move toward
the world for which Jesus prayed – “Thy will be done, on earth as in
heaven” – then we must stop perpetrating acts of violence and injustice
upon innocent individuals.